Police apprehend wanted man

LEE COUNTY - A Mendota man was taken into custody on Thursday morning in Earlville.

Lowell Maxwell Ambler, aka Max, was wanted for violation of bail bond resulting from two previous charges of home invasion and aggravated battery.

Several area police and sheriff’s departments were looking for the Mendota man who, they said was possibly armed and dangerous.

On Sept. 15, the Lee County Sheriff’s Department arrested Ambler for the offenses of home invasion and aggravated kidnapping, both being Class X felonies. The arrest is the result of an ongoing investigation from an incident reported on Aug. 26, in rural Compton.

Ambler is alleged to have entered a dwelling and, while wearing a hood, robe, or mask, confined the victim against her will. Ambler also allegedly bound the victim’s hands with duct tape, causing bruising.

Ambler was arrested and booked into the Lee County Jail on a $250,000 bond. He posted $25,000 and was released on Sept. 20.

Ambler stole a vehicle from the rural Mendota area on Oct. 2. The vehicle was located in Plainfield, near the residence of the victim.

He was also a suspect in a carjacking in Plainfield on Wednesday morning. The vehicle was reportedly located in Earlville on Wednesday.

The Earlville School District posted on Facebook that law enforcement had asked the school to remain closed on Thursday.

Ambler is a former La Salle County sheriff’s deputy and had served briefly as an alderman in Earlville.